In UK development of UAVs became a key part of the UK’s Defence Industrial Strategy. The new Taranis UCAV is the result of that strategic outlook.

The UK is preparing to test a new supersonic stealth drone, seen as the next generation of front line bomber.

Taranis, the new unmanned aircraft can evade radar and select its own targets. But as RT’s Sara Firth reports, experts are nervous about the beginning of ‘robot wars’.

The BAE Systems Taranis is a British demonstrator programme for Unmanned Combat Air Vehicle (UCAV) technology, being developed primarily by the defence contractor BAE Systems.

A semi-autonomous unmanned warplane, Taranis is designed to fly intercontinental missions, and will carry a variety of weapons, enabling it to attack both aerial and ground targets.

It will utilise stealth technology, giving it a low radar profile, and it will be controllable via satellite link from anywhere on Earth.